Anna and the French Kiss- Etienne
by Rachel-12345
Summary: This is a version of Anna and the French Kiss from Etienne's point of view. I love this book and have been really interested in seeing what the story would look like from a different viewpoint. I hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

**Etienne**

I hung up my mobile, shoving into the back pocket of my jeans. I had only arrived in Paris an hour or two ago and my mum had already called to check how I was. I didn't mind though. She has always been quite protective, I think its partly due to my dad, not that I want to give him any credit or anything, but I think we bonded over a common fear. It became the two of us against him; the two of us against the world. He was never at home- not that I was complaining, I would rather not have to spend time with my dad. He spent his time between London and Paris, whereas mum and I lived in San Francisco. Well, she lived there. My dad shipped me to boarding school in Paris at the earliest opportunity, leaving her alone, and me under his watchful eye.

I caught my reflection in the tiny mirror above my sink, and I looked just as I felt. Shattered. I hated flying. I hated the way your stomach dropped as the plane took off. I hated the feeling I got in the air, one tiny mistake could take us all plummeting to an untimely death. I hated the hot, recycled air and the way it clung to your skin. I hated how tired I got from sitting still, I would always fidget and become restless, earning me dark glares from surrounding passengers.

I washed my face in my sink as an attempt to look more awake. It was no use. Running a hand roughly through my hair, I left my tiny room and I trudged down the stairs to find Meredith. We had spoken briefly on the phone before my fight left when she told me her new room number, it seemed she was the first one out of our friends to arrive. Josh and Rashmi must be getting here tomorrow. The only flight I could get meant I arrived late, and after getting through airport security and the metro journey, it was coming close to midnight. I decided I would just pop in to her room to say hello, before going to bed- my eyes were already halfway closed.

I reach out slowly to push the door, when a force hits me straight on. The impact makes me stagger back, reaching to the corridor wall for support. In a second I am stable again, blinking my weary eyes so they will adjust. Before me there is a girl, I frown a little, she looks my age, so she should be a senior too, but I haven't seen her around school. She definitely must be new, I would have remembered her if I'd seen her before. Frustrated with myself I frown even more, I already have a girlfriend, why am I noticing _her_. _Oh shite, _I forgot to call her! Shes going to be so mad when she finds out I'm already at SOAP. I shake my head, No, _Focus Etienne, Focus_. _Say something_.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were there." The words tumble out of her mouth in a loud whisper. I see her eyes flick up to my hair, I can feel the back of my neck heating. It must look a mess after the long flight. I resist the urge to reach up and smooth it down. _Why do I even care?_

"It's okay, I didn't see you either. Are you all right, then?"

There is a seconds pause, she looks at me and a surprised look crosses her face. I can tell she is shocked to hear my accent, although SOAP is in Paris, it is an American school, meaning all the students are American. Including me, I might add, despite my misleading accent.

"Er." I start unsure of what to do next, _did I get the wrong room? _"Does Mer live here?"

The hallway girl still gives me the same bemused look, like I didn't say anything at all. I clear my throat, the way she is looking at me makes me nervous, and I don't want to think about why.

"Meredith Chevalier? Tall girl? Big, curly hair?" _God, _she must think I'm crazy. A random guy has just stopped her in the corridor and won't let her pass, no wonder she is looking at me weirdly.

"I'm sorry." I edge away from her, giving her a little more room to escape, which I'm pretty sure she will do any minute. "You were going to bed."

"Yes!" She yelped enthusiastically as soon as I finished speaking, as if my movement had woken her up. "Meredith lives there. I've just spent two hours with her." Her grin is so wide it takes up most of her face. "I'm Anna! I'm new here!"

I smile back, I like girls who smile like that. Not any of this smiling-minutely-to-look-attractive crap, her smile was shameless. It was a smile to be earned.

"Etienne, I live one floor up." I mentally kick myself, of course I live one floor up, all the senior boys do. As for the Etienne thing, I don't know what I'm thinking. Only my mum calls me Etienne, all my friends adopt St. Clair, my surname, to address me. I don't know why I didn't tell her I was St. Clair, it just felt wrong for her. She felt different. She felt new.

I was still looking at her when Meredith pulled me into her room, the last glimpse I got of her was as she disappeared quickly into her room.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello? Earth to St. Clair?" Meredith was waving her ring covered finger in front of my face, "What is with you?" A frown crosses over her face, covering the wide mouthed look of glee for a second.

"Were you at Ellies?" She is smiling again, but this one looks less genuine, like it had been forced. She shook her head, jokingly disapproving, and shoved my arm. "You look high or something..."

"What? No," I reply, confused "Why would I have been at Ellies?"

"Um, I dont know. Maybe because shes your girlfriend?!" She snaps back. I only shrug in response.

"Who was that?" I inquire, changing the subject. This only makes her face harden, she turns and pretends to be busy, fiddling with some rings in an old teacup. I cross her small room in a few strides, and sit down on the floor, with my back resting against her bed.

"Mer, please, don't be like this," She looks at me, her face still stoney. She'd been angry with me before school ended, since Ellie had left we both had been spending more time out of SOAP. I wanted to hang out with the rest of our friends still, but she was always pushing to go somewhere alone, saying we'd both grown out of the school. I'd promised Mer I would spend more time with her, Josh and Rashmi this term. That wouldn't be too hard. Ellie started university the week before school started, she had sent me a few brief texts since she arrived, dropping hints about how busy she was now I couldn't help but wonder if she'd grown out of me. I also couldn't understand why the idea didn't upset me more.

"I'm sorry, it was just a long flight, I can't focus right now. I'm so tired..." My words fade out as the corners of her mouth twitch upwards and her face softens.

"How were your holidays?"

I leave Mer's room an hour later, when I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I can't resist looking at Anna's door. I don't know why I do it, its the same cheap, grey door all the rooms here at SOAP have. I hold up my arm to knock on the door. It wouldn't look weird, I could apologise for stopping her in the hallway, and welcome her to Paris. She must be nervous- it was her first day away from home, I assume. My arm is frozen in the same position for a few seconds, before I shake my head and walk briskly away. She's probably asleep anyway, I wouldn't want to wake her... When I get to my room, I go straight to bed, practically falling asleep the second my head hits the pillow. But not before the image of the hallway girl- Anna- appears in my mind.


	3. Chapter 3

After paying for breakfast at the cafeteria, I gesture towards my usual table with my tray, raising one eyebrow. A small smile grows on Anna's face, she must be relieved that she has somewhere to sit. I let her walk slightly in front of me so I can look at her properly, she is slightly taller than me, and has a gap between her front two teeth- frankly its adorable. I can see the top of her silky, brown hair, as her head bobs beside me, and I fight the urge to reach out and stroke it. I can almost imagine the feel of it sliding over my fingers. Annoyingly, I see her glancing at Amanda's table, she can't want to sit there can she? I waver slightly, wishing with all my might she will sit with us. I let out a sigh when she sits down at our table, not even knowing I was holding in so much tension. I put my tray next to hers on the table and drag a nearby chair in the space at Anna's side, glancing at her as I sit down. Our eyes lock for a second, and I smile. She immediately looks down and smiles at her breakfast, the top of her cheeks going pink. When I look up Josh is watching me with a plain face, I launch into a conversation with him before he can say anything.

After breakfast we all headed, with the rest of the school, to pick up our schedules for the rest of the year. Josh is telling me about a new graphic novel he read over summer, but my eyes keep wandering, scanning the crowd for Anna. I see her, timetable in hand, shuffling awkwardly over to Mer and Rashmi. I fidget on the spot, wanting to go over to her. I want her to feel welcome in our group. Luckily, Mer spots her and they exchange schedules, I quickly avert my attention back to Josh.

I'm still standing with Josh when the head delivers her speech, we had been slowly edging over to the girls after receiving our timetables but had not reached them in time for the welcoming speech.

I lean over to Josh, "Here we go again," I mutter in his ear, shoving the top of his folded arm jokingly. He just smirks and rolls his eyes. The 'welcome back' speeches at schools are renowned worldwide for being bad, it seemed. Not even Paris, this city of art and beauty could improve on that. Throughout the speech my eyes drift over towards Anna, and I find myself staring at her again. The head says something about welcoming new students as Anna glances around behind her. She sees me staring, I can feel a blush creeping up the back of my neck. I raise my hands towards her, applauding, hoping to make my stare seem to have a purpose. She fidgets slightly, and I look away. I bite my nail, why do I care about her so much? I wonder why I feel so intent on becoming her friend. She glances at me again, breaking me from my trance. I shake my head to get rid of the thought, and go back to listening to the speech.


	4. Chapter 4

Mer is talking about learning multiple languages. Her eyes are bright and her cheeks flushed, I love it when she gets caught up in it this much- passion is admirable to me. Her arms are making huge motions as she talked about the links between languages, emphasising the simplicity of it all to her. Her enthusiasm makes me think of Anna and her movies. No, it doesnt. It makes me think of my _girlfriend _Ellie, and her passion for photography. Although, it never really seems like passion to me. I mean, she's good at it- not good, _excellent_\- but she's a natural. That's the trouble with naturals, when you are so good that you don't have to work hard, you never truly know how badly you want it. Ellie is great, but not passionate. Not like Josh who's hand cramps due to the amount of work he puts in. Naturals like him I am OK with. He is talented, but he cultivates that talent to make something incredible.

I realise I am watching Josh now, he catches my gaze and cocks his head, a quizzical, but amused, look on his face. I shake my head minutely and return my gaze to Mer.I lean back, with my arms crossed, watching her finish her rant with an amused grin on my face.

I turn to survey the cafeteria, telling myself that I am just being curious, but I know that I'm actually looking for Anna. I hope she sits with us today, and hasn't found other friends. Not in a selfish way- I just want to get to know her more... as friends, of course. Frustrated with myself, I frown and shake my head. I am never normally this insecure and paranoid; why do I care? Why is she all I can think about?

I catch sight of her hair and stretch in my seat to get a better look. I see her walking up to the chef, with disappointment settling in my stomach. I wish it was like the first breakfast, and she needed my help again to order. But I guess it is good that she is confident enough to order by herself, even if all she gets are grapes- they are delicious here in Paris. Annoyance flickers in my chest when I see who's behind her. Dave. He is following close behind, as if he wants to say something but doesn't have the right words- or the courage. _Ha, _I think to myself as he loses her in the throng of students before he can start a conversation. She wasn't missing out, he was a particularly vile pupil at SOAP, one of the typical rowdy school kids, like the ones you hear vandalizing buildings on the news. Before she gets completely out of his sight, his hungry gaze flickers down her body. I have to clench my fist in order to stop myself from going up there and punching him. He has no right to look at her in that way. My nails are making my palms burn. I only can relieve the pressure after I see her walking over to the table. I turn back around to see the hurt in Mer's eyes. I didn't mean to ignore her, I just got distracted. I launch back into her conversation before the tears welling up in her eyes overflow.

Ten minutes later Anna too, is in tears. She excused herself from the table and ran to the bathroom. I watch as she leaves, with loss and guilt settling in my gut. I was trying my best to be welcoming. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but thats seemed inappropriate. Even though she felt way more than an acquaintance to me, we barely knew each other. What if she thought of me like a stranger? I obviously wasn't enough to compensate for the loss of her friends. I suddenly felt angry with myself, angry that I couldn't make her happy.

After running a hand through my hair, I storm off before I can fuck up anyone else's day.


	5. Chapter 5

That night I go to visit Ellie. We knew we would struggle: it's hard to go from seeing each other everyday at school, to only seeing each other some nights. However, I think its working. I have a slight skip in my step, and the calm feeling I always get when I am near her, as I walk to the metro.

Some people find the underground in Paris difficult, but I love it. I have got used to the pattern of riding public transport, from living in cities all my life. Be it Paris or London, I am comfortable and sure.

I descend the stairs, bordered by a tall green, Gothic-style arch, marked 'Metro'. Sometimes the beauty of Paris astounds me, and I am overcome by a feeling of gratitude. I swear I will never get used to the artistry of Paris. The sound of a lone violin echoes up the stairs, bouncing of the tiled walls to create a rich, meloncollie tone. I pause and watch for a second. A young woman- probably only a few years older than me- is playing, her eyes are closed and her head is tilted into the instrument. The cheap overhead lights reflect in the tears brimming at the corners of her eyes, and her long, graceful arms bow, with such force and emotion, it looks as if she may fall over.

I watch her play, but I mostly watch her passion. Its amazing how someone can focus on one thing so much, to become that good at it. I imagine her ten years younger, practicing day and night locked in her room, replaying the same piece of music over and over again until it seems futile- until she thinks she'll never get better... and then one day, without even realising it, it clicked.

After dropping a few coins in her open case, I walk on to board the tube. The first tube whizzes past me without stopping. The breeze it creates in it's wake is refreshing, and pushes my hair back. When the wind disappears, it leaves my hair to fall in more of a mess that it began with.

The carriage is almost empty when I get on, as per usual. By the time I can get out of SOAP it is late, so that most of the commuters are already home after work. I pick my usual seat and sit down, ignoring the slight dampness that tube seats always tend to be. I laugh to myself, thinking how much Anna would hate this. The air is sticky and full of cigarette smoke, you can almost feel the dirt going into your lungs with each breath. The handrails are sticky and grimy, I can only imagine what caused them to have that consistency. I think back to earlier today when she gave her grapes a bath!

I nod in greeting to the man sat opposite me. He is the only other regular in this carriage, I enjoy our brief encounters during the journey. His name is Alexis, and he works at the Centre Pompidou as a guard or something of the sort, meaning he gets home late after his shift. Alexis is an old, kind man, with laugh lines etched into his face. He has met Ellie once or twice on this journey, although he always forgets her name. Instead, calling her 'mon petit chou' whenever he asks about her.

Today, as always, I ask about his day. He always replies 'A cat in gloves catches no mice,' which I'm not sure really answers my question, but I don't want to argue. He doesn't like to talk much about himself, instead he opts to pound me with questions. I bite my tongue to stop myself from telling him about Anna, although, I would love for her to meet him. They would get on like a house on fire- unlike Ellie, who, unlike Alexis, was not impressed after they met.

I knock on Ellie's dorm room door, rocking back slightly on my heels as I wait for her to answer, with my hands deep in my coat pockets. She swings the door open, a look of shock filling her face when she sees me.

"Shit," She says, beckoning me in with one hand, looking flustered.

"Not exactly the welcome I was hoping for..." I joke, running a hand through my hair.

"Sorry-" She interjects quickly, "I just had plans to go out with some friends on my course, I thought I had texted you but I must have completely forgot..." She trails off, looking at me helplessly. I feel disappointed and alone, how could she forget?

"We can rearrange," I say after a sigh, I was really looking forward to seeing her, "I'm glad you have made new friends, I'll go now." I go to kiss her on the cheek. Ellie is now visibly squirming, I can tell that she's in an awkward situation. As I walk towards her, I survey her outfit. She is wearing a short sparkly dress, with very high heels. Her lips are coated in red lipstick, and her eyes heavy with false lashes. She looks nice, but I always prefer he more natural.

As my lips hit her cheek, she turns so that our lips touch. She pulls back minutely, before kissing me again. This time harder. Our lips rush to meet each others, her dainty hands twist through my hair, and my hands encircle her neck. She then grabs them and drags them down to her waist, then her hips. We are kissing like crazy, her red lipstick smearing on both of our cheeks.

"I'll stay," she whispered in my ear. I smile in return, grateful to be wanted again.

I remove my coat and big boots, that always made me feel clumsy in the presence of Ellie.

She changes and comes to sit down on the sofa with me, leaning against me with her legs tucked underneath her.

"There is this new girl that sits with us at lunch now," I start. I haven't broached the subject of Anna yet, but I felt like I should.

"Us?" Ellie questioned, it surprised me that this is what she picked up on.

"Yeah, you know... Me, Josh, Mer and Rash." I state obviously, upset that she has forgotten 'us' so quickly. That I can no longer include her in 'us'.

"Ohh," She nods in understanding, her lips are small and pursed.

"Yeah, her names Anna. She's from Atlanta, and she's really into movies. She wants be be like this big movie critic or something. She's really funny, you would like her. I mean you would find her funny." I can't stop the words tumbling out, "She did the funniest thing thing at lunch today. You know how the grapes her ar-"

Ellie stops me with a kiss, her arms encircling my neck. I feel a flare of annoyance that she didn't listen to me, but that soon dies down as the kiss deepens.


End file.
